The Unlucky Fox
by Gyokuyou-no-Kuugen
Summary: Being reborn into the world of Naruto was so not on the list of things I wanted to do with my life. Being a self-imposed exile even less so. SI-OC [Hiatus]
1. Rebirth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**This has been stewing in my head for a while, so I decided 'Why the hell not?' Yep, this is another one of those SI-OC stories. **

**Be warned. I'm usually pretty busy, so I'm not likely to have a specific update schedule.**

**I'm open to constructive criticism, so please let me know if there are any grammatical errors and such. Flames will be ignored. Whining for updates also does not make me update any faster.**

***EDIT: I've made some changes to all the chapters, some more noticeable than others.**

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**Chapter 1 - Rebirth**

Allow me to regale you with a story. It's a story full of ninjas, rebirth, psychopaths, poor decisions, awesome pranks, Jinchūriki, cranky foxes, crazy Fūinjutsu experiments, double-rainbows, and unicorns that crap glitter.

...Okay, I made up those last two, but rest is true, _honest_.

Well, to start the story off, let me tell you that being reborn into the world of Naruto was definitely _not_ very high on my list of priorities. Sure, some of you may think _'No way, that'd be awesome! Whooo, ballistic projectiles! Yeah, property damage!'_ Me on the other hand...not so much.

I'd rather not be on the receiving end of a multitude of crazy-ass jutsu _thank you very much._

How did I end up in this predicament you ask? Hell if I know. I'm not even sure if I actually _died_ in my previous life. It was pretty sudden really; One moment everything was normal, and the next I couldn't see or move properly. It didn't take me too long to figure out I was a baby, but when I did you can bet your ass I started shrieking like someone had just told me I had no choice but to watch a marathon of the '_Twilight' _movies for the next four days while being forced to solve calculus equations.

I didn't think it could get any worse...well...it did.

It was a couple of weeks, before I could see a bit more clearly and observe my surroundings (At least, I _think_ it was a couple of weeks), and boy were those couple of weeks excruciating. Being a helpless baby was incredibly boring. And humiliating. Definitely humiliating. I won't get into that though considering I'm still trying to pretend it never happened.

Good ol' denial. I was quite good at that, I think.

It also didn't help that I couldn't move properly, though it wasn't particularly surprising considering my condition. Let it be known that babies have the motor control and grace of a neurotic monkey that was binging on narcotics while wielding a sledgehammer. Did I ever mention how much I hate monkeys? Well, I hate them...and Chihuahuas (which I refuse to believe are even dogs, seeing as they look like they were invented by one of those terrible/cheap SciFi movie originals)...and bears...damn bears...those things are assholes.

But I digress.

With my sight much better than it had been, I could finally try to get a better grasp on my situation. Since I couldn't exactly get around, I had no idea where I was. I did notice, however, that people seemed to be speaking Japanese. While I didn't know too much of the language, I did pick out words like 'shinobi' and 'Konoha' being thrown around. Needless to say I was skeptical that I could possibly be in the Narutoverse, and it wasn't until I could finally get a good look at my 'parents' that the hard, terrifying truth came forth.

My 'mother' had a fair complexion, kind violet eyes, and vivid red hair pulled into a messy bun. She had a warm, vibrant, and lively presence that I couldn't help but be comfortable around. She would often sing and talk to me in that language I still didn't totally understand, but at least it broke the monotony. When I could finally see, it didn't take long to notice the symbol on her bright clothes. It was something that looked suspiciously like the Uzumaki symbol much to my growing unease.

I started to speculate on the growing possibility of being in the Narutoverse. Considering I had heard the word 'Konoha' on more than one occasion and my mother seemed to be an Uzumaki, said possibility was increasing. She wasn't Kushina; _that_ much I could tell. So why would an unknown Uzumaki be in Konoha? If this _was_ Konoha anyway.

I decided to store those questions for later when I had more information.

I didn't mind the presence of my new mother, but when I figured out who my new father was...

_Mute horror._

My expression at the time probably could be compared to that of someone who was witnessing a train wreck on a suspended bridge that went over a vat of dangerous chemicals. In retrospect, it must've looked hilarious on my baby face...or concerning depending on who you ask.

My new 'father' was Uchiha Madara: Mental Case Extraordinaire!

Just my luck...

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Please leave a review if you enjoyed it.


	2. Daughter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other mentioned franchise.**

**Here's the next chapter. Thanks to those who left legitimate reviews!**

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**Chapter 2 - Daughter**

Having Madara as a father was...interesting to say the least. He was definitely not of those fathers who coddled their children, but he did seem somewhat fond of me in a stoic kind of way. I always knew when he was around due to his large, powerful presence. It reminded me of a big bonfire.

By this point I had already surmised that I could sense chakra. I wasn't great at it, but I supposed that I just needed practice. Practicing my sensing was pretty much the only thing I could do to save myself from boredom at this point whenever I wasn't being interacted with. That and trying to learn what the heck everyone was saying; I only took two years of Japanese in college after all, not nearly long enough to have a good grasp of the language.

My new name is Musume by the way...'_Daughter'_...

Powerful Madara is. Creative he is not.

Oh well, it was better than Madara Junior or something. Seriously. That would probably constitute as child abuse.

I was...odd looking for an Uchiha, to put it lightly. I had my mother's violet eyes and - get this - silver, white hair. According to my mother, my father's reaction was priceless (and mildly terrifying) as he thought I was someone else's kid at first. As it turns, out I inherited my hair color from my grandfather on my mother's side. Pretty weird if you ask me, but I'm not complaining. I didn't want to be another carbon-copy Uchiha anyway. That just sounded depressing.

I did inherit my father's crazy-ass, untamable hair-style though, along with a facial structure more similar to his.

Brushing my hair was an _ordeal. _It made me wonder if my father even bothered brushing his, because _I_ certainly never caught him doing it.

By the time I was 4, I had already picked up on a decent amount of the written and spoken word, along with some (relatively child-friendly) physical training. I tried to depict myself as intelligent, but not knowledgeable. The last thing I needed was a suspicious Madara, or _anyone_ for that matter. Despite my efforts though, some still saw me as somewhat of a prodigy.

In my past life, while intelligent, I certainly wasn't a prodigy. I suppose I could have been smarter if I had the drive...but I didn't. I was never very motivated, so you can imagine my exasperation when my father decided that I should start learning and training as soon as he realized I was smarter than the average toddler. Madara _hated_ all forms of laziness, and it was only thanks to my mother (whose name I discovered was Mio) that he didn't push me too hard.

My new parents had an interesting relationship. I don't think they loved each other per se, but they did seem to get along...most of time. They both had fiery tempers, that would occasionally clash leaving them both squabbling like children. It was only until later that I discovered just how attached my father was to my mother.

As it turns out, I was indeed in a recently founded Konoha, and my mother's elder sister was Mito, Hashirama's wife. My mother and Madara were apparently in an arranged marriage to help solidify the peace between the Uchiha and the Senju clans.

Go figure.

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	3. Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**Thank you very much to all of you who took the time to leave a legitimate review.**

**I had a question on whether she would have the Rinnegan. The answer is no. Musume is half Uzumaki, not half Senju as Hashirama is only her uncle because his wife is Musume's mother's sister. I hope that cleared it up for you.**

**As a side note, I will also begin a sister story to this one. It will contain snippets of Musume's life.**

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**Chapter 3 -Family**

I was rather fond of my Uncle, Hashirama; he had a powerful, warm, and comforting chakra that felt like the summer breeze in a great forest. While, I didn't see them too often at first, I always enjoyed his and my aunt's visits. My mother did too. I even got a new cousin, Itama.

I, like my father ironically enough, seriously had no idea what to do around babies either, so I wasn't too keen on spending more time than necessary with my cousin until he got older. My father certainly was never excited to see him in the compound, and he often looked at Itama like the kid had escaped from a zoo or something. My father actually made some pretty funny expressions if one knew how to look for them.

I was also quite fond of my mother's sister, Aunt Mito. She, like my mother, was kind but in possession of the infamous Uzumaki-woman temper. Whenever one of them was angry, everyone would cower. My father and Tobirama would try to act unaffected, but it was obvious they were secretly terrified. If _both_ of them were mad, people ran for their lives like it was a zombie apocalypse.

My other uncle, Tobirama, had a chakra that (unsurprisingly) felt like a great, clear river running through the mountains.

He was a total stick-in-the-mud. Full stop. Even my _father _was loads more fun than that guy. I still tried to interact with him though, much to my father's amusement, as Madara found Tobirama's discomfort around me entertaining. He even _encouraged_ me to bother the silver-haired man, though my father would always remain nearby whenever I was around him like some kind of crazy-haired helicopter-mom.

Actually, Madara pulled that helicopter-mom behavior whenever I was around mostly _any_ guys, funnily enough. I didn't hold it against him though, as I knew he meant well.

Anyway, over the 5 years that we had known each other, I had grown to love my new mother. Sure, I still missed my previous parents very much, but it was something. I could tell she loved me dearly, and I was excited when she started teaching me Fūinjutsu. I absorbed the knowledge like a sponge, which I suppose was due to my Uzumaki heritage.

During that time, I had also began basic training in Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Chakra control and some weapons training. Surprisingly (to me anyway) I was quite good at Ninjutsu and using blades. My previous experiences with Jiu Jitsu did help some with Taijutsu, but being good at only grappling does not Taijutsu make.

The other things...eehhh...but I figured I had plenty of time for improvement. My father sure as hell wasn't going to let me settle for less, seeing as I was his sole heir. He was pretty strict like that, often leaving me irritated, as I hadn't exactly been keen on fitness in my past life. Learning Jiu Jitsu had been stressful enough.

I made up for this irritation by playing pranks on him and the guards he would sometimes station to watch me (because, damn, was I tricksy hobbit). In retrospect, it was pretty ballsy to play pranks on THE Uchiha Madara, but I figured he wouldn't kill me. Probably.

I managed to tack a sign that said 'Behold my gorgeous ebony locks' on the back of his hair once. It only took him 3 hours to realize why the rest of the clan were giving him amused looks too. Sure, he made me do laps around the compound for a few hours, but it was so worth it.

As a result of my continuous mischief (and sensing ability), I became pretty damn sneaky and stealthy if I do say so myself.

While initially not as fond of him as I was my mother, I did grow to love my father quite a lot. He was definitely still pretty rough around the edges, but he had warmed up to me significantly over the years. I felt safe around him despite knowing the kind of nutjob monster he had become in the Manga, because I knew he would never let anything hurt me. From what I could gather his brother, Izuna, had died the same way he had in the Manga (the particular tension between Tobirama and my father was telling), so I wondered if my mother and myself were the only things keeping him sane(ish).

It was a sobering thought.

I would be lying if I said there wasn't a lingering tension between the Uchiha and the Senju, but I hoped my father wouldn't turn traitor on the village. If he did turn, would I be able to bring myself to one day oppose him? I wouldn't have much of a choice. I had a strict moral code, and I simply couldn't just allow him to start pointless wars and throw the world into an eternal illusion.

I knew that I would truly mourn losing him. I shouldn't have allowed myself to grow so attached...

Well, it was too late now I supposed.

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**Hope you enjoyed.**


	4. The Edge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**Here's the next chapter. Things are about to change for Musume.**

**Thank you to the few who reviewed.**

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**Chapter 4 - The Edge**

I was 7 when my mother passed away of illness on a cold winter day.

I was devastated. My mother whom I loved was gone and _I'd never see her again. _

_Just like my original family._

I remember crying my eyes out at her funeral while my father held me tightly, his face hard and blank. Aunt Mito had also been sobbing into Hashirama's chest. Even my other uncle, Tobirama, seemed to mourn.

Things went downhill from there.

My father soon became distant even to me, making me feel more alone than ever. The crazy bastard I had come to love dearly over the years suddenly became like a stranger. He would still occasionally display signs of affection to me, but it seemed that he wasn't all the way there no matter how desperately I tried to cheer him up. I wanted so badly to despair instead, but I knew the consequences should my father finally snap.

Also...also...I didn't want to lose him too.

A few months passed and, not only were my clansmen becoming increasingly unnerved by my father's extra-creepy/frigid behavior, but he soon started to periodically disappear for hours at a time. At first, I didn't think too much on it, until it hit me like a Bijūdama to the face one day after a particularly long absence of his; What if he had discovered the tablet at Naka Shrine? Too bad I didn't even know where it was. It was times like those where I wished I had a better memory of the Manga, because I was fairly certain it depicted what the area around the shrine looked like at least once.

What if he was in the process of planning on turning traitor and possessing the Kyūbi? What if he was already planning on that insane 'Lotus Eater Machine' plot that would trap everyone within an endless illusion? The prognosis was grim from the get-go, and I couldn't help but remember the ever increasing darkness (and _hate_ and _madness_) in his eyes and aura. While he had never aimed these negative emotions at me (his aura actually felt much calmer whenever he was in my presence), I knew things were getting bad. The symptoms were so _obvious _and it took me until then to notice. Tobirama was right; sometimes I was just so damn _dense!_

The generous heaping of denial on my part probably didn't help though either.

...But surely my father wouldn't try to attack Konoha with me here right? _Right?_

I remembered the tragic case of Obito, who was willing to kill his former friends and comrades because he believed that they would all be 'brought back' when the eternal illusion was fulfilled. _The ends justified the means?_ Something told me my father bought into that '_logic_.'

An illusion was simply that. An illusion. It didn't matter what kind of pretty paint or flowery words one put on it. No freewill; only puppets. A fabricated reality. _False._

I felt sick and helpless.

I had to do _something._ Unfortunately, I had no idea where he was, as he was expertly masking his presence from me. He certainly had had plenty of experience between dealing with myself and Tobirama being talented sensors (more so in the latter's case). I couldn't find him if I tried.

But I knew who could. It was a gamble (possibly a stupid one, even), but I had to try.

I snuck away from the Uchiha compound after dark, masking my chakra and using my sensor abilities to avoid any of my clansmen. Once I was in the clear, I made a mad dash over the rooftops. I had to find one of my uncles, preferably both. I felt like I was betraying my father, but perhaps Hashirama could talk some sense into him before Madara went off the deep end?

Yeah, like that ended just peachy in the Manga, right?

Why was I so damn _weak? _If I was only stronger, I might have been able to do _something_ other than alerting my uncles. A voice in the back of my mind told me that I could have been the best bet at convincing my father to stop. _Too late._

At the Hokage Tower, I found Tobirama and Mito looming menacingly over a sheepish Hashirama. Tobirama looked all kinds of disappointed in his brother, and Mito was yelling angrily at Hashirama's about his latest gambling shenanigans from what I could tell. On any other day I would have found this to be hilarious, but all I felt was an all-consuming dread.

Tobirama had turned to look at me first, no doubt having sensed me before I got to the tower. The usual taciturn expression that he regarded me with faltered when he saw my pale, frightened face and he immediately stiffened, drawing the attention of the other two occupants of the room.

"Musume-chan! What brings you here so late?" Hashirama spoke up, relieved for a distraction from his wife's wrath. His demeanor soon sobered when he got a good look at me, and my Aunt immediately strode to my side to check me over.

I could hear Hashirama and Mito ask me worried questions of what had happened and if I was alright, but my voice was caught in my throat. Tobirama, who had not yet spoken, was staring at me with an expression I couldn't identify.

What if my father wasn't up to anything, and was just being your typical, sulky Uchiha? Lord knows my clansmen could majorly sulk for _years_ like it was a profession if given the chance. If he actually wasn't up to anything and I set my uncles on him, he might not ever trust me again (and it might drive him over the edge too, if he wasn't already over it!). On the other hand, if he _was_ up to something...

Damn...Just my luck to be stuck between this bad of a rock and a hard place.

Finally, I forced myself to speak.

"...it's Dad," my voice was quiet. "He's been completely disappearing for hours at a time lately, and now he's been gone for a lot longer than usual. He's been acting really weird for months, and there's this _hate_ there, just underneath the surface. I just have a really, really bad feeling right now. I have no idea where he is either, but I get the feeling he's not in Konoha."

_'Well, that was a stupidly phrased excuse.'_ I thought to myself bitterly.

Hashirama, ever the optimist, was concerned but tried to play it off as just Madara's way of mourning. Tobirama, on the other hand, became particularly unreadable as he continued to study me. He must've recognized the grim, haunted look in my eyes and I could tell, in that moment, that he took my words quite seriously. My Aunt was silent and thoughtful.

In the end, Hashirama left to locate Madara to see what was going on, and was soon followed by Mito. I remained with Tobirama, who was left in temporary charge of the village.

After what seemed like ages, I felt it. My uncle must've felt it too, because his head snapped to the direction it was coming from, his expression one of shock.

It was a great and terrible chakra.

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**Hope you enjoy.**


	5. The Valley of the End

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**Kurama finally makes an appearance (albeit a rather brief one).**

**Thank you to those who reviewed.**

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**Chapter 5 - Valley of the End**

I was right. Sometimes I hated it when I was right.

My father _had_ been plotting. Hashirama failed at talking him down, and things started playing out just as they had in the Manga.

When Tobirama and I had felt that terrible chakra, a Bijū's chakra, I just _knew_ what had happened. Dread, anger, and grief overcame me when I realized this. I had to talk to him_. I had to._

Tobirama had swiftly acted when he realized that the Kyūbi had become involved, and began preparing the village and its inhabitants for trouble. I could tell that people were absolutely terrified at the prospect that the most feared and dreaded Bijū of them all was near.

I soon saw an opportunity and used the commotion to my advantage to sneak away from the village. Tobirama was going to be _pissed._

I followed the large, familiar chakras that I knew to belong to my father and uncle, along with the ever-present, suffocatingly massive and oppressive chakra that could only have belonged to the Kyūbi. I knew it was a terrible idea to go, but I nevertheless ran as fast and hard I as could for what seemed like an eternity. My were legs giving out and my lungs were burning like fire, but I kept running. I had never been more grateful to the enhanced vitality my Uzumaki blood granted me.

When I reached what would soon be the Valley of the End I could see that my father (who was atop the Kyūbi) and uncle were still fighting. All that mattered to me was that they were both still alive; I still had a chance, no matter how slim.

Sparing a glance at the ravaged battlefield, I shuddered. The battle had been entertaining in the Manga, but now it was terrifyingly real. It was all real, and I was so frightened to lose either of the figures in front of me.

_This was far beyond me._

It didn't take long for me to realize I wasn't alone. My aunt was there too, and the moment she spotted me I knew she would've beaten the tar out of me if we weren't currently in so much danger. I had to act before she restrained me.

I dashed closer to the battlefield, ignoring her alarmed shout along with my common sense. When I thought my father was within earshot, I screamed, "_Dad! Dad! Please stop fighting!'_"

Madara must've heard me, because his head snapped in my direction, his eyes widening in shock...and worry? Hashirama (who had not yet noticed me) capitalized on his momentary distraction and, to my horror, speared my father with his Mokuton. The Kyūbi was quickly restrained after that.

I looked on, shocked into silence for what seemed like hours. It very well could have been, and I probably would not have noticed.

My father's chakra...I couldn't feel it anymore...

I don't remember much after that. I felt numb. Empty.

I should have tried harder to save my father and _I failed. _I failed, and he's _dead_, and _why are my eyes **burning**?_

I do remember, though, that that was the day I became the new Kyūbi Jinchūriki.

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**Hope you enjoyed.**


	6. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**Be sure to check out the companion piece to this story, "The Reminiscing Fox." It contains various snippets of Musume's life.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed.**

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**Chapter 6 - Aftermath**

I didn't speak for 2 months after the incident.

Could you blame me? I did lose my both my parents, whom I loved dearly, within the span of a year after all. Whether or not my father was actually still alive or not, the fact still remained that things could never go back to the way they were.

Also, as painful as it was to admit it, I hoped my father truly _was_ dead. Deep down, I knew it would be for the best.

I moved in with my aunt and uncles at the Senju compound after my father's death since they were the closest family I had left. They, of course, were worried at my continued silence, but didn't push the matter. I wondered if Hashirama thought I blamed him for my father's demise? I did not, of course. If I blamed anyone, it was my father...and perhaps even myself.

By the second month even _Tobirama_ of all people was concerned.

He had never been too particularly fond of me, nor I of him (but I still thought he was pretty cool), despite my honest attempts at trying to get him to warm up to me. I suppose it was due to my being half Uchiha and the child of Madara. I know I didn't like the fact that he was always giving me the stink-eye like he half expected me to bite his nose off or something (though the occasional prank I played on him probably didn't help matters). So, imagine my surprise when he actually sat next to me while I was sitting on the mountain overlooking Konoha one Autumn day. I couldn't recall a single time where he had initiated an interaction.

We sat in silence, overlooking the bustling village for a while before Tobirama spoke.

"I am sorry you know. I know it must be difficult for you, but you have to move on. Sulking will change nothing."

Typical Tobirama-brand bluntness. I knew he was right though. I hadn't even trained in 2 months. My father would've been pissed. He would have chewed me out and then trained me into the ground, and then my mother would've told him to stop being such a tightwad. Afterwards they would probably get into one of those embarrassingly childish fights.

I rasped out a small chuckle at the image.

"I suppose not," I replied quietly.

Tobirama and I got along a bit better after that day (meaning, he actually started to make an effort), and I started to act more normally much to my family's relief.

Of course, it would've been nice if Hashirama hadn't been so overly dramatic about it. Honestly, he was more of a mother-hen then my own mother.

I also threw myself into training. I was _weak_, so training as hard as possible was the only option left to me. I couldn't afford any more weakness.

I spent the next couple of years learning under my aunt (who was continuing my knowledge of Fūinjutsu) and uncles, along with dealing with my new status as the container of the strongest Bijū. I had been chosen over Mito simply because I was also an Uzumaki, along with the fact that my chakra coils were less developed than hers. I wasn't really upset, due to the fact that I was fond of Kurama in my past life, when reading the Manga.

At least my Jinchūriki status was only known to my uncles, aunt, and the council. People had begun viewing me with suspicious scrutiny after Madara's betrayal became common knowledge, so my new status definitely wouldn't have helped.

_'Just because most Uchiha are mentally unstable doesn't mean I am!'_

I often wondered why my clansmen didn't seem to care that I was no longer living in the Uchiha compound and had all but moved in with the Senju. Was it because I still hadn't activated my Sharingan even though I was supposed to be a 'prodigy'? Was it because I was only half Uchiha? Or was it because my father was a _traitor_? All of the above? Whatever the reason, they (minus some of the nicer ones) simply didn't seem to care about my existence anymore. Oh well, I had never been too terribly fond of them anyway.

At least I still had my aunt, cousin, and both my uncles. It was good enough for me.

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**Hope you enjoyed. **


	7. Cage

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**I admit, I'm quite surprised people seem to like this so much. **

**Thanks to those who took the time to leave a legitimate review.**

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**Chapter 7 - Cage**

I was 5 months into my 8th year of age when I met my tenant.

I was expecting lots and lots of anger and cursing from the newly caged fox. This was the very first time he had been sealed after all.

What I got was different.

Before meeting Kurama for the first time, I had been practicing my meditation with Tobirama. And boy was clearing my mind a massive pain in the ass. It didn't help that I could hear Hashirama singing in the shower either.

It sounded like a damn flock of dying geese going through a cheese grater.

Tobirama and I shared a pained, withering look and I could tell he wanted to throw his tone-deaf brother out a window. Hell, I did too.

Anyway, after I finally managed to clear my mind after great effort, I felt my consciousness abruptly pulled inward. My vision swam, and I felt an extreme sense of vertigo.

.

.

Soon enough, the sensation was over and I found myself in a wide dark hallway, with a shabby, pealing wallpaper that looked like it belonged in a old Victorian building. The air was stagnant, and I could hear a creaking and groaning that one would expect of an ancient structure that was in desperate need of upkeep. What little light there was seemed to be coming from dusty, eerily-lit candelabras lining the walls.

Going spelunking in a spooky horror-movie house that I had somehow gotten sucked into was definitely not what I expected I would be doing that morning. At least it wasn't the strangest thing that had happened to me; Being born into the Narutoverse definitely took the cake for that.

I looked up curiously. There was no ceiling, and the walls appeared to stretch on endlessly into an inky blackness.

It was the kind of setup you'd expect in a horror movie. Needless to say, I was startled and confused as to my sudden change in scenery. I didn't _think _I was asleep.

'_Am I in the Seal?'_ I finally wondered. _'If so, why does my head look like a horror movie?...Cool.'_

My deep affection for _'Silent Hill'_ and other well-done horror books/games/movies from my old world probably didn't help my weird psyche, now that I thought about it. As a funny side note, what most would consider a nightmare, I usually found to be awesome. I personally had loved all those horror-related dreams, as I was not easily frightened by such things. It definitely wasn't all that surprising to see that my head was spooky, which sounds pretty funny out of context.

Digressing again. Should I tone down the rambling for future reference? Naaah, that was boring.

I walked down the corridor, the dark wood floor creaking ominously below my bare feet. It was impossible to tell how long the corridor stretched, and I wondered if it even had an end. After what seemed like an hour, eventually felt a draft billowing down the hall towards me, cutting through the previously stagnant air.

"An exit?" I asked myself quietly. I continued forward, and the draft began to sound more like _breathing _than simple wind_._

If it _was _breathing, then I had a suspicion of who it belonged to.

When I finally reached the end of the long corridor, I carefully entered a large, circular chamber with a dark, stone floor. The chamber, too, was dimly-lit by old candelabras upon the walls.

There, a crimson cage stood built into the wall on the opposite side. The bars, like the walls, stretched upwards into the darkness. In the middle of the circular room, a strange mechanism lay built into the ground; It was bright and clean in contrast to the rest of the ancient-looking chamber. '_It almost looks like some sort of locking mechanism.'_

I looked back up to the gilded, red bars. That's when I saw the eyes. Large eyes like polished rubies, gleaming in the dark chamber.

'_Kurama,' _was my thought.

We stared silently at each other for what seemed like an age, Kurama's scarlet eyes peering at me in a way that could only be described as contemplative.

_"So the not-child finally comes to visit me,"_ the Fox spoke suddenly, his voice unreadable.

"Not-child?" I responded. Did he know that I was older than my supposed age?

"_I know everything about you, Musume," _he replied cryptically, seemingly aware of my thoughts.

"That's not creepy at all," I said, somewhat irritated at his intrusiveness. I decided to get to the point now that I had the opportunity. "Well then Mr. Know-it-All, I hope you realize then that it would be better to work together, considering Da— _my father_ might still be out there plotting." Speaking of my father still never failed to bring me great sorrow, but I pushed those feelings away bitterly.

_"Why should I work with you?" _the Fox sneered, his gleaming red tails shifting like countless coils in the darkness.

"You know why, you damn furball!" The Bijū bristled at the comment but said nothing. I continued, "If you've seen my memories, then you know just what he will try to accomplish if he still lives. An eternal illusion? I can't let that happen. We know the plan, so we have the advantage. Besides, if you claim to know me so well, then you know that I would do everything in my power to set you free once this is all over, and that I despise the fact that people would cage sentient beings just to use them as tools or weapons."

Kurama studied me quietly for a few minutes more._"The 'Moon's Eye Plan' was it? While I detest the thought of working with a human, _**his daughter**_ no less, I detest the thought of becoming part of the J__ū__bi more. I suppose I simply cannot ignore such a possibility._

_So be it not-child. We will work together, but don't expect me to like it,"_ the Fox said petulantly, huffing hot breath in my face.

I smiled.

.

.

"Musume!"

I jerked out of my subconscious, immediately disoriented. I turned my head to blink stupidly at my uncle who looked torn between being annoyed and amused.

"Yeah?" I responded, standing up to stretch a bit. I quickly became aware of another consciousness in my mind and realized that it was Kurama. I could tell that the Fox was scrutinizing the man before me the way one might scrutinize some bacteria under a microscope.

"It's called 'meditating' not 'sleeping,' brat," Tobirama replied, a small smirk on his usually stern face.

"Sorry, it's one of my body's natural defense reactions whenever I'm under threat of losing brain cells, which includes stupid singing," I replied easily, turning to grin at my silver-haired uncle. I could see he was about to make a sarcastic retort before Hashirama's singing started up again.

"I'M WALKING ON SUNSHINE! WOOOOOOOAAH!"

I let out a strangled laugh, and I could just tell that Kurama's incredulity and irritation had reached an all-time high. _"Is this what I'm going to have to deal with from now on?"_ My tenant's voice was sardonic (and maybe a pinch concerned).

"That's it," Tobirama hissed, striding purposefully out into the hallway and towards his oblivious-to-the-danger brother.

"Uncle Tobi no! Murder isn't the only way!" I yelled after him, sticking my head into the hall to look after my angry uncle.

_"What the hell did I just get into?"_ Kurama grumbled, before preparing himself for the long-haul.

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**Hope you enjoyed.**


	8. Cousin

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**Thanks to those of you who left legitimate reviews.**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Cousin**

_Age 10_

"Musume, I know it was you," Tobirama said wearily from the base of the tree I was lounging in.

"Hmm?" I intoned innocently, peering down at my disgruntled uncle.

"You might think putting glitter in my shower head is hilarious, but it's not," He replied, obviously trying to keep his cool (I could see one of his eyes twitching).

"Haaa?" I continued to play dumb like a true professional. But, of course, Tobirama didn't buy it; He and my father never did. It was funny, sometimes, how similar they were in certain areas.

And nostalgic.

"Get down here before I throttle you," He growled.

"You wouldn't do that. I'm your only niece after all, and therefore your favorite niece~"

_"Technically, that also means you can be his least favorite niece as well." _

'_Shut up Kurama,' _I thought mildly, taking a mental swat at my tenant. The Fox snorted, clearly not impressed.

Tobirama continued to glare accusingly at me, oblivious to my communication with Kurama.

"Maa...Fine, I'm coming," I responded before jumping off the tree branch. Once I was before my uncle, I admired my handiwork.

His hair was littered with sparkly glitter, making it look like a disco ball or some such in the sunlight. Classic.

It was only due to my emotional training that I kept a straight face. Kurama, on the other hand, was snickering nastily at my uncle's misfortune. The Fox and I had surprisingly hit it off when it came to pranks and other forms of mischief, and we often worked together to come up with them. Between my skill in Fūinjustsu and general aptitude for sneakiness and the Fox's brilliant mind, we were the best accomplices ever. No really, we were!

While we did have fun coming up with complex pranks, the two of us couldn't help but enjoy the simple tricks as well; such as painting on the faces of sleeping people, dyeing someone's hair a weird color, or planting stink-bombs in inconspicuous places. The nastier villagers were typically my targets, but everyone was fair game for the most part. Well, MOSTLY everyone anyway.

I never ever _never_ pranked Aunt Mito. My father had nothing on her in the scary department. No joke.

"You bratty little fox," Tobirama grumbled. I smiled cheekily in response.

It was an inside joke between us that had started years ago. He always told me I was mischievous like a fox, after he noticed my penchant for mischief. Ironically enough, it wasn't far from the truth now that I had Kurama sealed within me.

"If you keep frowning so hard, your face will stick that way, Uncle Tobi," I added cheerily. "Come on, it'll come out in a few washes."

_"Probably," _Kurama crooned. I tried not to snicker again.

"It had better! Now come on, the Hokage wants to see you," the glitter-laden man snapped waspishly, turning around to head off to the Hokage-Tower (and clearly using his sensor abilities to avoid getting seen by other people).

"Oh?" I replied, falling into step beside him. "Do you know what it's about?"

"No," my uncle replied shortly. I had a feeling he did, but was withholding the information out of spite. Sounds about right...

When we arrived, after Hashirama laughed at Tobirama's hair for a while (much to the latter's great irritation), it didn't take long for me to figure out that Hashirama only wanted me to spend some time with my cousin. I knew for a fact that was just a nice way of saying "babysitting." Greeeeaat...

Tobirama gave me a smug look upon seeing my dismay, and it was a look that told me that he was the one who came up with the idea. It was then that I vowed vengeance. I smiled kindly at my silver-haired uncle, which Uncle Hashirama took to mean I was happy and that all was right with the world. He laughed cheerfully, before deflating when he glanced back at his paperwork.

Tobirama, seeing the expression I was aiming at him, was immediately disconcerted but he stood his ground in an attempt to keep face.

_"A laughable attempt at hiding fear,"_ Kurama cackled, rubbing his clawed front paws together deviously.

"See you later Uncle Hashirama! Have fun with your paperwork," I said, still smiling nicely. "And I'll see _you_ later too, _Uncle Tobi_," I told him ominously. He stiffened, but I was already out the door.

See you, Musume!" I heard Hashirama reply, remaining completely oblivious to the foreboding atmosphere, and the somewhat obvious mild terror from his brother.

I would come up with some payback later. Although, I _could_ just simply do nothing, and just let my uncle be anxious as he awaited retaliation. I was totally an evil genius.

_"*cough*Uchiha*cough*" _I heard Kurama say.

Duh.

That aside, I was definitely not excited to watch my cousin for a few hours. Don't get me wrong, I loved my young cousin, Itama, but that kid's knack for getting into trouble was legendary and dreaded amongst the select number of Genin sent to watch him (It was pretty much this time's version of those 'Tora the Cat' missions from the Manga). The other Senju in the compound totally knew what was up with Itama too, so they whole heartedly agreed that my cousin should be inflicted on some unsuspecting Genin instead. Genin is definitely another word for "manual slave-labor forces." Thank the Lord I was a Tokubetsu Jōnin.

Last time I watched the little hooligan I caught him in Hashirama's weapon pouch, which that dope had just left lying around within child-reach. Let's just say that kid has quite the throwing arm for an hardly-trained 6 year old.

Mito's favorite vase didn't stand a chance.

Of course, that was probably one of the tamest episodes yet. Take the 'Lobster Incident,' for example.

Kurama chortled at the memory.

It all started when Tobirama's students got a D-rank mission to babysit an even younger Itama. The team consisted of Sarutobi Hiruzen and two other assholes that went by the names of Koharu and Homura.

Hiruzen was a sweet kid, but the other two could get fairly bratty. Seriously, it was like they were trying to compete with my clansmen for the smug awards or something. Not that they'd ever actually beat my clansmen in that, seeing as the Uchiha held all the world records for it. But I digress.

Needless to say, they somehow managed to lose Itama and it was kind of like watching that _"Baby's Day Out"_ movie from my old world, where some incompetent criminals couldn't keep up with the baby they kidnapped to hold for ransom. Said criminals eventually gave up and returned the trouble-making baby because it was simply too much to keep up with.

The only reason I was aware of what had happened was because Uncle Tobirama knew his students well enough that he suspected they would probably be too dumb to keep up with his active nephew, so he sent me to shadow them as a precaution (I was a Chūnin at the time). It's not like I had anything better to do that day, anyway.

Seeing as watching the Genin flounder around was absolutely hilarious, I resolved to only step in if my cousin was in actual danger. I regret nothing.

Anyway, the Genin lost Itama in a market of all places, which is especially impressive when you consider the fact that they weren't even supposed to leave the Senju compound with my cousin. To cut things short, Homura basically ended up with a lobster down the front of his pants. _Somehow. _It was like witchcraft or something.

Homura was walking funny for _weeks. _He also earned a bunch of embarrassing nicknames from the other Genin too.

I _may_ or _may not_ have taken pictures at Kurama's behest to use as possible blackmail.

_"I'm sensing a lot of distress,"_ Kurama spoke up from the Seal.

_'What's up?'_ I asked, suddenly on guard. The Fox didn't have enough time to reply before we discovered the source.

_Another_ Genin team that clearly couldn't keep up with Itama.

"That sounds about right," I said dryly to no one in particular. And it was my turn to replace them too. I inwardly groaned.

I loved my family, I truly did, but if I didn't get payed for this, I would totally revolt.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	9. Glare

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**Things are about to change once again for Musume.**

**Someone told me to make these chapters longer...Nope! I write them however I write them.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed.**

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Glare**

_Age 13_

The bandit leader didn't have a chance to react when a kunai soared from the tree line, lodging itself in his skull. The rest of the bandits went down soon afterwards.

I didn't enjoy killing in the slightest, but those bandits were infamous for their cruelty. I knew it would be for the best to remove them.

It wouldn't be the first bandit nest Hashirama had had me dispose of. I was technically a Jōnin (I had been promoted from Tokubetsu Jōnin at age 11 thereabouts), but the word "special ops" would probably be more fitting. A lot like one of the Anbu, really. Uncle Hashirama, being the mother-hen that he was, preferred to send me on less dangerous missions such as bandit-removal, but often had no choice but to employ my skills for more dangerous things, much to his dread (he couldn't exactly be caught playing favorites after all). Recently, he had even been using my advanced stealth and sensory in spying and intelligence gathering at the behest of Uncle Tobirama, who claimed to my face (he was even giving me the stink-eye!) that I should start using my skills in stealth for something useful instead of stupid pranks.

'But pranks are how I got this awesome!' I wanted to tell him. So I did. He wasn't impressed.

What a party pooper. Honestly, I grew up playing pranks on Uchiha freaking Madara, which clearly takes some talent. And balls. I probably terrorized my poor father, so it's pretty impressive he had as much patience with me as he did.

_'Every party needs a pooper, and that's why they invited yoooou~ Party pooper~ Party pooper~' _

_"I'm willing to bet you inherited your particular brand of insanity from Madara,"_ Kurama huffed at me. _"Because no normal human being would be as loony as you, otherwise."_

_'Bitch please, I was always this loony,' _I chirped._ 'Admit it, if I was your regular run-of-the-mill Uchiha, you would've died of boredom,' _I told my exasperated tenant cheerfully. Kurama had no rebuttal for that, because he knew that I was clearly right. I marked another win on my mental scoreboard.

Musume: 125, Kurama: 37.

My uncles seemed to be relying on me a lot lately, actually. This was most likely due to me being one of the few people they fully trusted. As it turns out they were worried because there had been several intelligence leaks due to spies or traitors. One or more of the rival Hidden Villages no doubt. It's a shame we didn't know which ones at the time though.

I _somehow_ managed to be the best spy in the village, much to my surprise. I even managed to juke my clansmen and their fancy-shmancy Sharingan on a regular basis (_"Which you don't have yet," _Kurama would always scoff, much to my frustration). Hyūga tended to be more difficult to avoid, what with their freaky 360-vision eyeballs. Who knew I could be such a talented creeper...uh, talented at creeping, I mean. Speaking of creepers, I was not at all surprised when I noticed a certain young Chunin also had a knack for it. Being sneaky, I mean.

I honestly couldn't decide whether Danzo was a cute kid or a creepy one. Probably a bit of both, really. He seemed to have a crush on me though, and let me tell you, it was _hilarious_...up until Kurama sent me a mental image of old-man Danzo's head superimposed on his current kid body, because then it was just uncomfortable. Kurama had indeed learned the art of trolling from the best.

Anyway, spying is where I came in. I spent a good deal of my time snooping around Konoha, _information gathering_, as Hashirama called it. I feel like Jiraiya now...

_'Kurama, if I ever turn into another Jiraiya, please shoot me.'_

_"Sure, Kit,"_ the Fox chortled. I could just tell he was imagining me in Jiraiya's outfit, writing dirty books, and making lame poses whenever I introduced myself. Dad would be so proud.

Except not really. Then again, the reaction _would_ be kind of funny to witness.

I also couldn't help but think my job would be a lot easier if I actually had a Sharingan...but, as I mentioned earlier, I didn't. Pathetic right? Kurama sure seemed to think so, that rude little dirtbag. Well, _surely _it'll turn up sooner or later right?

_"Keep telling yourself that."_

Like I said; Major dirtbag.

"You know, you're significantly bitchier in person. And here I thought you were my favorite character in the Manga too," I drawled, quickly jumping through the trees back towards my village.

_"Aren't I still?"_ the dirtbag replied sweetly. A bit _too_ sweetly if you ask me. I probably got a cavity from it.

I rolled my eyes, continuing my trek. I couldn't wait to get back either, because daaaaamn I was starving. A new, supposedly great, restaurant had just opened and I was dying to try it out.

_"You still have to report to the Hokage first," _Kurama droned, tails waving lazily behind his large form.

"Yeah, yeah. Rain on my parade why don't you."

I was happy, though, that I had Kurama despite how obnoxious he could be when he really felt like it (which was fairly often, unfortunately). I appreciated his company nonetheless, and I got the feeling he liked the company too. Being a Bijū tended to be a rather lonesome existence from what I gathered in past conversations with the Fox. I did ask him why he didn't simply hang out with his siblings, but apparently he just disliked them or something.

Doesn't play well with others? Sounds about right.

It took a couple of hours to get back to Konoha, and I was excited when I saw its large gates. Finally, I could get something to eat!

_'...and report to the Hokage first,'_ I added before Kurama could butt in like the total butt he was. The Fox rolled his eyes.

Returning to the village, I couldn't help but notice the stares people were giving me. They weren't the nice kind either. I could feel the negative emotions in the air thanks to my connection to Kurama.

Fear. Disgust. Caution. Hate.

_'What's going on? I've never even gotten glares like these after one of my pranks, and I haven't even _pulled a_ prank in 3 weeks.' _

I had a bad feeling about this, and judging by Kurama's low growling, he did too.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	10. Seal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**Thanks to everyone who left legitimate reviews.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Seal**

"They know Musume," Hashirama ground out tiredly. His kind dark-brown eyes were sympathetic.

"...W-what?" I stammered, my stomach twisted. Deep down, I knew exactly what he was referring to, but I wanted to deny it to the very end.

Denial once again, because that_ totally _has benefitted me before. _Yeah, right._

"They know you are a Jinchūriki. There was an intelligence leak on your status. As you know, the only ones who knew are myself, yourself, Mito, Tobirama, and the council."

"So you believe it was someone in the council?" I murmured, still shocked. In the Seal, Kurama was still, silent, and focused.

"Yes. It's the only logical explanation, as it is forbidden to even speak of your status to each other outside of an official meeting in which I am involved. I don't know who it was exactly, but I intend to find out," my uncle's voice was hard, and I knew he was furious. I don't think I had ever seen him so angry, and it was strange to see on such a normally kind-hearted clown like Hashirama.

It was terrifying in a way, even though I knew his anger was not directed at me.

"I will make sure the village knows it is illegal to speak of your status, but I'm afraid the damage is already done. I'm sorry, Musume," my uncle continued solemnly.

Life after that was...hard. I was used to being an outcast due to being the daughter of a now infamous traitor, but this? This was worse. I could only imagine how poor Naruto felt, considering he didn't even know why he was hated.

Now that people had two reasons to be suspicious of me, they started upping their game of rudeness.

While no one ever physically tried to harm me, they made up for it in other ways. People glared, fearfully stared or whispered, hissed, or outright pretended like I didn't exist. There were pretty much four groups of people: the people who treated me relatively normally (Which was a little over half the population), the people who thought I was Madara's silver-haired mini-me (considering I did pretty much look like a female, palette-swapped version of him), the people who thought the Fox might possess me or bust out one day (aka, the faithless shits who were skeptical of the awesomeness that is Fūinjutsu), and the people who used both excuses like it was the latest fad.

There were also those who tried to deny me services such as buying groceries or clothes, and you can bet your top dollar I didn't put up with it; I could be pretty scary when I wanted to.

Kurama had been exceptionally waspish as of late. I knew he was only upset at how idiotic the villagers were though, so I didn't take his attitude to heart. It felt nice actually, knowing that he was upset on my behalf. I knew he would never admit it, but I knew him pretty well at that point.

Kurama was aware of my every thought and emotion (this had stopped bothering me for the most part, as I was used to it) but, recently, I began feeling more wisps of Kurama's emotions and thoughts than the usual too.

When Kurama realized this, he seemed contemplative for a long while. I was in my room at the Senju compound when he became active again.

_"Come here,"_ he finally spoke.

_'In the Seal? Alright, one moment.' _I situated myself on my bed before focusing inward.

I found myself once again in that dilapidated chamber. I immediately strode up to the crimson bars of Kurama's cage, and then looked up at the Bijū. "I'm here. What's up?"

_"Look at the Lock of this Seal"_ the Fox rumbled, gesturing towards the center of the chamber with his head.

I turned to study the locking mechanism which was built into the floor. It didn't _look_ any different...I walked towards it for a better look. It took me a moment to realize that the once shiny, clean Lock seemed a bit more...grungy and dull.

I turned to look at Kurama "What's wrong with it? It's looking a bit rundown."

_"The seal has loosened,"_ he intoned.

"Loosened? So, what does that mean for us?" I replied, now a bit nervous.

_"It is an odd seal. One created by Mito and your mother if I remember correctly. Something has gone wrong with it because now it is...leaking for lack of a better term. Our essences are gradually getting...intertwined."_

"Eeeeh?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" I exclaimed, frantically waving my arms at my roommate.

_"Tch! Don't be so noisy! The way it looks now...it seems we're REALLY stuck together now,"_ Kurama growled, clearly about as pleased at the situation as I was.

"How could the two of them working together not have made a better Seal? Why is _now_ different?"

_"I don't know. There's something suspicious about this situation. We're missing pieces of the puzzle, I think."_

"Great, another mystery."

We were silent for a while.

"Surely there's a way to reverse the damage?" I said weakly.

_"If you have any ideas, by all means speak,"_ he snarked.

I didn't even know how the Seal worked! I loved Fūinjutsu, but something told me that studying that Seal was going to be a drag.

"Why is the seal wearing down so quickly anyway?" I added after a long, tense silence.

_"One reason I can think of is due to both my Yin and Yang chakras being sealed within you, instead of just half of myself. It is straining this particular Seal." _Kurama replied wearily.

"Mito and Kushina didn't have that problem...I suppose it's due to the fact that the construction of this Seal is fundamentally different," I spoke to myself. Was the leak...intentional? Surely, my mother and aunt wouldn't do that, right?

_'Should I tell my aunt?'_ A large part of me didn't want to.

What if everyone began treating me like some sort of ticking time bomb? What if even my _family_ treated me like I could snap at any moment? What if I was locked away in a cage like some kind of wild animal? People were quite fearful of the Tailed Beasts, and many people were already distrustful of me since I was daughter of a traitor who would have tried to destroy Konoha. It reminded me of the incident with poor Kakashi and his father.

I knew I was being irrational, but I couldn't stop the doubts creeping into my mind. I knew how cruel and unreasonable humans could be; their fearful reactions when they discovered I was the container to a Bijū was proof enough. Their spiteful reactions whenever they looked at me and only saw Madara was _proof enough._

_"Calm down, Kit,"_ Kurama spoke softly.

I took a deep breath.

I wouldn't tell anyone, I decided. I couldn't afford any possibility of being restrained. Kurama and I were the only ones who could stop Madara's harebrained scheme after all. I'd just have to deal with the problem by myself.

Kurama was silent.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	11. Good Grief

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**Thank you to those who reviewed.**

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Good Grief**

_Age 14_

A year passed since Kurama and I had discovered that the Seal was breaking, but I could find nothing wrong with it; It was breaking for seemingly no explanation. Was I missing something? I was supposed to be good at this!

_"How troublesome,"_ Kurama replied, listening to my thoughts. _"We couldn't even find any notes on the damn thing that your aunt and mother may have left."_

"Don't remind me," I sighed.

It didn't help that I was feeling less and less human by the day either. I could only hope that no one else would notice.

"This is totally your fault, hairball," I groaned, picking at my brand-spanking new fangs with my equally brand-spanking new claws in front of my bathroom mirror.

_"MY fault?!"_ Kurama replied indignantly.

"Yes, YOUR fault. You and your stupid overpowered super chakra..."

_"Feh!"_

"Musume? Are you in there?" I heard my Aunt Mito from outside the bathroom door.

"Yes? Is there something you need Aunt?" I was so glad I locked the door. It was a habit I gained when I noticed that Hashirama was a total dope who always forgot to knock.

"Dinner's ready, so I expect to see you this time, dear. You've been a bit reclusive lately, and I don't think it's healthy."

I _really_ didn't want to go. What if they noticed my new...features? I knew I had no choice though, as I could tell Mito would probably flip her shit in typical Uzumaki fashion if I denied her again.

I couldn't use a Genjutsu, because my family would most likely notice it, and become suspicious. Maybe...gloves? Yes, that'd probably work to hide my claws. As for my fangs...don't smile ever again?

Jeez, what a pain.

I was relatively silent at dinner, and settled for simply listening to Itama chatter about what he did that day, while Hashirama and Mito chatted right back. Tobirama though? He was quietly staring at me like I belonged in a museum or something. I would've told him to quit eyeballing me like a weirdo-creeper if I hadn't been trying to attract as less attention as possible.

I opted to stay quiet, hoping that my family would just write it off as some sort of phase I was going through; You know, typical teenage drama crap.

As soon as dinner was over, I excused myself and tried to flee back to the sanctity of my room.

And who would have guessed! A wild Tobirama appears!

Daaaaaamn.

"Something's wrong with you," he stated with all the tact of a war-hammer.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I know you."

"Oh? Look, Uncle, I'm _fine,_" I insisted. He was worried about me? I'd be touched if he wasn't so pushy on a subject that I definitely didn't want to talk about.

"Spill it, Musume."

Crap. It looked like I'd have to pull out the big guns to get him to stop questioning me.

"I'm on my period okay? You want me to tell you about it? 'Cause I can totally do that in explicit detail."

The effect was instantaneous, and Tobirama spluttered in shock and horror.

"You see, just the other day it was so bad that-" He cut me off before I could finish.

"Nevermind! You're obviously fine if you can be this obnoxious!" Tobirama exclaimed, still flustered, before hurrying away from me like I had just told him we were going on a three-day shopping trip to _Macy's_.

Typical men. Works every time.

_'It was super-effective!' _I mentally cheered.

I keenly felt Kurama's amusement even as he laughed loudly.

_'Having fun Fox?' _I thought.

_"Heh, I'll admit that you're one of the more tolerable humans I've met. Certainly one of the most amusing."_

_'Aww, love you too~'_

_"And now those feelings are gone."_ Kurama replied bluntly.

I chuckled in response.

_'I suppose I'll go outside to train some more, and then study afterwards.' _I changed my destination and turned towards the front door. Once outside, I casually strode out of the compound with the training grounds in mind. That was when the whispers started up. _Again._

"Hey isn't that the _girl?_" I saw a female civilian whisper to her friend out of the corner of my eye.

"Why does the Hokage let it run loose?"

"—dangerous to have around."

"—looks like Madara—"

My teeth clenched, but I otherwise showed no emotion. These whispers were nothing new after all, and it made me wonder why I even bothered walking down the street in view of everyone. Perhaps it was because I wanted to prove to people that I didn't care? That it didn't bother me?

"Look, it's the _traitor's daughter_," One of my clansmen told his comrade loudly, clearly not caring whether I heard or not.

That one always stung the worst.

I wanted to tell him to shut his mouth, and then deck him for good measure. He would've deserved it.

Why were all these people so damn unreasonable! The occasional attacks Kurama made on human settlements whenever they became too big of a cesspool of negative emotions probably didn't help his reputation. It certainly didn't help mine.

_"Hey, Kit, how about we go for some Ramen?"_ Kurama's voice cut through my brooding.

_'Since when did you like Ramen?' _I thought, still feeling bitter.

_"I don't. Your brooding is getting too Uchiha-ish for my liking though, and that Ramen crap always seems to cheer you up."_

_'I already ate dinner, so I'm not hungry,'_ I replied sullenly.

_"Bullshit. I've always been under the impression that your stomach is a black hole,"_ Kurama snorted, trying not to laugh at the image. _"You're getting fat."_

_'Excuse me?'_ The sudden burst of killing intent I exuded had most of the people around me scrambling for cover. I could have sworn I saw the Uchiha that insulted me moments ago run face first into a street sign. _'I'm not even a little fat!'_

_"How sad, the first stage of getting fat is denial."_

_'You__—'_ I started, but then stopped. I started to laugh instead.

If the people around me were spooked before, my sudden laughing fit probably didn't help matters. There was no doubt by this point that I had the tendency to be pretty terrible at good impressions, anyway.

_'Nice distraction, Furball, but I'm on to you,'_ I told my tenant. Leave it to the Fox to have an underhanded way of trying to cheer me up.

_"I didn't do it for you, I did it so you'd quit sulking. It was annoying,"_ Kurama snapped, but I wasn't convinced.

_'If you say so,'_ I hummed, feeling silly that I had allowed some stupid whispering to get to me.

.

.

It was fairly dark by the time I had wandered over to the particular training grounds I frequented.

_"You're going to become a vampire at this rate with how nocturnal you've been lately," _the Fox added dryly, speaking for the first time since he complained about my sulking.

I snorted. _'You've been shifting through my memories again haven't you?'_

_"What can I say, the memories of your old world are pretty interesting. It's certainly more entertaining than watching you read a textbook or whatever."_

_'Speaking of my old world, I really miss my old books and video games!' _

I really did. It made me want to sob uncontrollably sometimes.

_'I was in the middle of a really good book too. Now I'll never know how it ends,'_ I moaned.

_"Good grief."_

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**Hope you enjoyed.**


	12. A Difficult Decision

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**I'll be posting some artwork for this story sooner or later, so I'll let you all know when I do so.**

**Thanks to those who took the time to leave a legitimate review.**

* * *

**Chapter 12 - A Difficult Decision **

Have you ever had to make a difficult, heartbreaking decision? Well, I was faced with one at the age of 17.

I suppose it started when I first began developing inhuman qualities a few years prior. Needless to say, the changes became more and more apparent.

Kurama and I had discovered, much to our dismay, that there was seemingly no way to fix the damage the Seal had done.

It was like the Fox had said; we really _were_ stuck together.

And lo and behold, someone just so happened to see my new fox ears and tail.

It wasn't a family member, but a _council_ member.

How the hell did that happen you ask? Well, how the hell was I supposed to know I'd suddenly grow them from out of nowhere as if a wizard had done it.

Seriously, I was just in the room, minding my own business and BAM! New appendages!

Lucky me.

Anyway, the council member who had been in the room instantly started shrieking and panicking like a howler monkey on meth, hurting my new ears like no tomorrow. He then took that moment to cheese it out of the room while I was stunned by the noise and the situation.

Yeeeeeah. I knew it couldn't end well.

Word must've spread quickly because a concerned and freaked out Hashirama and Tobirama soon found me.

They were firing concerned questions at me and all I could do was stare, because I honestly had _no idea_ what to say. Even Kurama was quiet for once, but I could still feel his slight anxiousness.

After a while of mute staring I explained that I didn't know what was happening to me. I didn't want to let them know I had been in contact with my Bijū, and that I had known that there was something wrong with my Seal all along.

Why you ask? Because I had doubted them.

That was why I never told them anything of when I first met Kurama, or when I had first discovered the problem with my Seal. Call me selfish or foolish, but I didn't want them to know that I hadn't trusted _even them_.

I was such a coward.

Humans, by nature, are cruel and unpredictable. It was something I had learned as a child in my previous life. I had doubted even my family because of this.

It was a terrible, guilty feeling but I pushed it down. I had to endure. _I had to._

Soon afterwards, Hashirama and Mito began their examination of my seal. The look on their faces was grim.

"Your Seal has greatly degraded, and it looks like the Kyūbi's chakra is infecting yours, for lack of a better term," they told me gravely. Not that I didn't already know that.

_"Stop talking like I'm a virus or something!"_ Kurama had complained in response to their diagnosis.

"The Seal was near perfect. Mio and I ensured it. So _why?" _Mito had spoken softly to herself. "Why and how did this _happen?"_

_"Interesting,"_ Kurama intoned upon hearing the woman. _"How very, interesting."_

After their examination, they placed a couple of temporary seals on me that would slow the process while they tried to puzzle out a more permanent solution. I knew that it was too late to reverse what was happening, but I allowed them to hope for their sake.

Kurama was irritated at the new seals that disrupted his (and my) chakra, but we both knew that resisting their placement would only bring about more problems.

Things went downhill from there. How typical.

Word spread, and soon the entire council knew along with several other ninja. Hell, it was only a matter of time before everyone and their damn brother knew.

Hashirama may be an great guy and a good Hokage, but damn does he suck at keeping gossipers under wraps, not that there was too much anyone could have done by that point.

Soon enough, there became unrest that I wasn't being contained due to my failing Seal. Hashirama, bless him, was having none of it and refused to have me caged, saying that there was nothing to worry about and that I was a loyal Shinobi.

While this was good enough for some, it wasn't good enough for all. People, stupid as they were, were questioning his judgment. The fact that I was the **_'Traitor's Daughter'_** only made it worse.

War between the rival Hidden Villages was brewing on the horizon as well, and Konoha couldn't afford in-fighting.

I knew something had to be done. But what?

"Don't worry, Musume. Everything will be just fine, you'll see! They'll all come around and see that you're a wonderful person!" Hashirama had told me kindly. Mito was off to the side, smiling comfortingly at me. I loved them both like parents. They were practically _were _my parents by now.

Uncle Tobirama, much to my relief, hadn't been treating me any differently. He was probably the only one too, considering Aunt Mito and Uncle Hashirama seemed to be walking on eggshells around me, as if I would break down under the slightest breeze.

My cousin, Itama, was indignant with anyone who spoke poorly of me as well. He was a good kid.

I wanted to cry. I didn't deserve such a wonderful family, and they didn't deserve the trouble I was putting them through.

_"How na_**_ï_**_ve of Hashirama. Unless something as radical as you saving this damn village from some great enemy like Naruto did with Nagato happens, then I highly doubt anyone's view will change. You know this as well as I do, Kit,"_ Kurama spoke solemnly. The Fox had been surprisingly sympathetic lately. It was one of the few comforts I had nowadays.

"...What if things don't change, Uncle? What if people only become more upset and unreasonable?" I spoke quietly.

_'There will be death,'_ I wanted to say. _'Konoha can't afford it!'_

"Don't worry so much, Musume. It'll all work out," Hashirama replied, but I could see the apprehension in both his and Mito's eyes.

I didn't sleep at all that night.

I knew what I _had_ to do, but was it the _right_ thing to do? It certainly wouldn't be the first time I had made a dreadfully poor decision.

I pictured the smiling faces of my Aunt, Uncles, and Cousin. I didn't want them to suffer because of me.

It was settled. I would leave Konoha.

I knew my family would be distraught, but I knew they would move on. If I didn't leave, then I knew the civil unrest would only increase and mostly likely lead to unnecessary violence and deaths. The rival Hidden Villages would probably jump at the chance to invade if they got wind of internal fighting.

_The timeline could change too much._

I knew that my greatest advantage was knowing the events of the Manga, so if the timeline changed too much, I would have little to nothing to go on. Though I had forgotten some parts of the Manga, Kurama's ability to file away and retrieve memories at a moment's notice had been of great use to me. I would sometimes joke that he was my secretary, much to his consternation.

I had to go.

I liked Konoha well enough, and it had a lot of good people in it. It was its larger-than-it-should-be idiotic portion of people I wasn't very fond of. Regardless, my damn conscious would plague me to no end if something bad happened to the village.

I only hoped I was making the right decision.

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**Hope you enjoyed.**


	13. Flight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other mentioned franchise.**

**Here's the next chapter. I'm getting increasingly busy, so my updates will probably get even more sporadic. Sorry about that.**

**Thanks to those who reviewed.**

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**Chapter 13 - Flight**

I didn't bother saying goodbye or even looking upon them one last time, as I didn't want to make it any harder for myself than it already was. I had also decided to remove the temporary seals when I got a free moment.

I did leave a note for my family in my room though. It read:

_To my family,_

_By the time you read this, I'll already be long gone. I wish it didn't have to come to this, but I simply didn't see any other way that wouldn't end in bloodshed. As you may have guessed by now, I've left because there are simply too many people that see my existence here as a threat. It is for the best that both the Ky__ūbi and I disappear without a trace. _

_I understand if you don't forgive me, but I beg of you to just forget about me and live your lives._

_Thank you for everything all of you have done for me. It means more to me than you may realize. _

_Before I end this note though, I want to leave all of you a warning; a suspicion is you will. The other reason I'm leaving is so that I can prepare for this suspicion as well. I believe my father may still be alive and, if so, I highly doubt he'll be up to anything good. Please never let your guard down, for I fear he is already lost in his hatred. _

_He may even find a another unwitting soul to inherit this hatred even after his passing._

_Stay safe,_

_Uchiha Uzumaki Musume_

Was it a good idea to warn them of my father? I had no idea, but I felt it would be for the best.

After placing the note on my bed, I spent no time in packing my belongings in a storage seal, removing the temporary seals, and leaving through my window. I quickly moved through the night like a ghost, making sure no one noticed me. It took only a few minutes before I reached one of the walls surrounding Konoha. I turned my head to look back the way I came, and I squeezed my eyes shut when I felt the sorrow twisting in my stomach.

_"Let's go,"_ Kurama spoke.

_'Yeah.'_

I climbed the wall, before dashing into the forest beyond the village.

I didn't stop running even as I passed the border out of Fire Country. I had no idea where Kurama and I were supposed to go, but I figured we'd come up with something eventually...probably.

I wondered if my family had found out that I was gone? Most likely.

I felt terrible thinking about it.

It was the evening when I finally stopped to eat and rest. We had found a roomy cave that would suffice for a couple of days while we gathered our bearings.

Sitting down on the cool stone, I took out a ration bar and some bottled water. Never had I been so thankful that my new condition made it so that I required less sustenance than the average human.

"Looks like you're useful for something after all, eh Fox?" I prodded impishly.

Kurama gave an indignant huff, but didn't reply.

"I suppose we should find more permanent lodgings before we start planning. Do you have any ideas where we could go? You do know the area outside Fire Country better than me after all," I said, taking a swig of my water.

_"Hmmm. It would have to be a place not easily found by humans, which won't be easy considering how many of the damn things there are," _he mused.

"I'm human too you know."

_"Feh! You know as well as I , that the word 'human' hardly applies to you at this point."_

I was silent. That point hit hard. I changed the subject back to possible lodgings.

"Do you have any ideas?" I asked.

_"I do. I was thinking we could go to __Mount Myōboku actually."_

"Isn't that where the Toads live?"

_"Yes. Not only would we be untraceable there, but learning how to harness natural energy would be greatly beneficial."_

"Alright, even if the Toads are willing to help us, how do you propose we even _get_ there? If I remember correctly, only those who know the secret path can get there on foot, and Jiraiya hasn't even been born yet let alone gotten the Summoning Contract. Come to think of it, how _did_ he reverse-summon himself to Mount Whatever?"

_"That's what we're going to figure out,"_ the Fox stated firmly. _"Besides, I've come into contact with them before, and know the feel of their chakra. That makes it easier!"_

I couldn't stop the incredulous look on my face.

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**Hope you enjoyed.**


	14. Mount Whatever

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other mentioned franchise.**

**Yeah, this update sure took a while. My personal life has been very busy and troubling lately, so I just don't have much muse right now. I somehow managed to shovel out another chapter though despite this. Hopefully things will calm down soon so I can regain my will to finish this story.**

**Thank you to those who reviewed.**

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**Chapter 14 - Mount Whatever**

It took three months before Kurama and I finally managed to successfully reverse-summon ourselves to Mount Whatever.

_"__Mount Myōboku."_

"Whatever."

Three whole obnoxious months of puzzling and experiments gone haywire...I knew it was going to be painfully irritating when we accidently teleported ourselves into a boulder during the first month. I don't even want to know how _that _happened.

"Kurama! You said you had a lead on their chakra!" I hissed. "So how did we get in a damn rock?!"

_"...Witchcraft?"_

It was nearing winter when we finally succeeded. I must admit, I wouldn't have been able to do it without Kurama practically willing ourselves to be reverse-summoned to the correct location. We had both been in deep focus when my vision warped and I felt a distinct, forceful pulling. The next thing I knew, I was practically drowning in cold water. I started to swim upwards and I was about to tell Kurama off for dropping us in a lake, but the sudden excitement I felt off him made me pause. When I surfaced I realized why.

I recognized the landscape. The world around me was vibrant and colorful. There were large plants and great stone spires, some of which were the sources of crystal-clear waterfalls. The land around us felt more alive than anything I had ever experienced.

"What now, Fox?" I spoke, still looking at the scenery in awe.

_"Now we speak to the Great Toad Sage, and convince him to let us stay?"_ Kurama answered carefully as I walked onto some dry land.

"And if this doesn't work?" I replied dryly.

_"It will. It must." _

I was about to respond to his odd answer when my fox ears swiveled back at the rustling sound a few meters behind me. I carefully turned to regard the small red and black Toad that was shyly peeking from some bushes.

_"A youngling,"_ Kurama added.

"Hello there, I'm Musume. Who are you?" I spoke kindly, trying not to frighten the small creature.

"G-Gamaken," he stuttered, still obviously concerned.

I recognized that name! Could it be the same Toad I had seen in the Manga?

_"It is a possibility. The lifespans of Summons are longer than that of humankind,"_ Kurama replied to my thoughts.

"Gamaken eh? It's a nice name," I said, crouching down so that I could more level with him. "Don't worry, I don't mean anyone here any harm. I'm just looking for a home."

"You don't have a home?" the small Toad asked dismayed, seemingly more comfortable around me.

"Afraid not. Do you think you could show me to your elders so I can talk to them, please?"

Gamaken shyly agreed before turning around and hopping through the bushes, and I followed close behind. We chatted amicably along the way, and I couldn't help but think how adorable little Gamaken was.

_"Females..."_ Kurama sighed. I gave him the mental equivalent of a punch on the snout in response, causing the Fox to complain loudly.

He was such a drama queen sometimes.

Not surprisingly, there was a clamor when some other Toads saw me, and I had to try and convince them that I meant no harm and that I only wanted to talk. I didn't have to try very hard, because soon a somewhat younger-looking Fukasaku appeared before me saying that the Great Toad Sage was expecting me.

Expecting _me_? I couldn't help but be startled considering I wasn't even supposed to be in the Narutoverse in the first place.

_"More convenient for us,"_ Kurama told me, pleased.

_'I sure hope so,'_ I thought. _'It's almost suspiciously convenient.'_

I followed Fukasaku to the place where the Great Toad Sage was waiting for me at a sedate pace.

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**Hope you enjoyed.**


	15. The Great Toad Sage

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**So, I actually got around to drawing some (probably badly drawn, seeing as I was being all kinds of lazy about it xD) concept art for this story. The links are on my profile, so be sure to check it out!**

** This site has been weirding out on me lately, so please let me know if any of the chapters got switched around or messed up. I _think_ I fixed it, but you never know with the internet sometimes.**

**And thanks to everyone who left legitimate reviews.**

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**Chapter 15 - The Great Toad Sage**

The resulting dialogue with the Great Toad Sage was...interesting, to say the least. The Old Toad kind of reminded me of one of those senile senior citizens that loves to tell you about the good old days, and how they remember when the wheel was first invented and all that crap. That, and someone that belongs in a psyche ward.

The Old Toad essentially told me that he had been expecting me, and that I would play a major part in the future...whatever _that_ means. I say "essentially," because Kurama and I had to painstakingly sift through the nonsensical rambling the Toad tended to get into. I thought I heard something about moving a plaid couch into a new apartment, for crying out loud.

Kurama was, needless to say, pitching twelve different kinds of fits at the, and I quote, "Damn, dirty, old lunatic."

The Great Toad Sage may not have heard his insults, but I certainly did. I totally deserved an award for putting up with Kurama on a daily basis, considering he acted like one of those petulant, cynical old women who yelled at kids to get of their lawn half of the time.

Anyway, that aside, the Great Toad Sage allowed us refuge in Mount Whatever after our meeting, to our great relief.

And guess who I'd be bunking with until a built a residence?

You guessed it...Shima and Fukasaku. They seemed somewhat excited too, as if I was going to be their new grandkid to torture with badly-knitted sweaters or something. It was...nice in way to think that I might have a family again outside of Kurama.

You know, even though said dysfunctional family would be entirely comprised of talking animals.

_'Dysfunction junction, what's your malfunction?~' _I sang in my head. Kurama, completely used to my varying levels of sanity and spontaneity by this point, only rolled his eyes.

Speaking of the Fox, he thought it'd be hilarious to tease me that I'd probably have to eat some nasty-ass bugs...until I a bit too cheerily reminded him that our senses were linked. His horrified reaction gave me warm, fuzzy feelings inside much to his exasperation.

Honestly, for an ancient entity, it was sometimes like he was competing with Uncle Hashirama for the dope awards. The indignant offense I felt off Kurama at that comment made me cough back a laugh, causing Fukasaku and Shima to give me concerned looks.

"Are you all right?" Fukasaku asked me as we were walking to his home.

"I'm alright, the Kyūbi is just being dramatic," I answered.

"You are the Jinchūriki for the Kyūbi?" Shima asked, clearly startled.

"Yeah, since I was a kid. Don't worry about him though, we're working together believe it or not," I replied easily.

_"Better that they know now than later,"_ Kurama added.

Thankfully, they seemed to accept my words with little fuss, as they were smart enough to know that a Jinchūriki wasn't what it contained.

_'You know it's pathetic when a group of talking amphibians are smarter than most humans.'_ Of course Kurama, being Kurama, jumped right on that, agreeing vigorously that humans were indeed quite stupid. I found it hard to disagree.

It has always been humans who tormented and shunned me. It was my father's dark human nature that caused him to abandon me and lower himself to such degenerate levels. It was humans that treated sentient beings like Kurama like mere _objects_ to be used and disposed of.

But I knew there were good humans too; like my aunt and uncles, like my younger cousin, like my mother...Like my original family who tried so hard to provide for me.

_That_ was why I didn't want anything bad to happen to humanity. I felt that, even if it was only for those few good people, humanity was worth fighting for. Besides, I was in a position where I could stop the 'Moon's Eye Plan' from happening. I could never forgive myself if I simply stood by and did nothing.

If Kurama and I stayed low long enough, most people would forget that the Nine Tails even _had_ a container (as most people still believed Kurama to be the sole Bijū to never have been captured), especially if said container had disappeared a long time ago. Hopefully, that would throw the Akatsuki for a loop long enough to buy even more time.

Later that day, after exploring Shima and Fukasaku's small home, Kurama and I began to discuss the future. We knew we still had decades until the Akatsuki was formed, but it was still imperative that we orchestrated a plan so efficient, that it was next to impossible to thwart ("Are we even collectively smart enough for that?" I had asked him, which he immediately took offense to). It was that or we could just become so overpowered that we crushed all opposition before us like flies *insert manic laugh here*. Kurama especially seemed partial to that particular plan for obvious reasons.

He was really dramatic and ostentatious like that.

That aside, if we wanted a good plan, we would need to be aware of what our enemies were up to; We would need to discover a way to information gather without being detected.

I may have been a skilled spy, but I needed to be the _best_ spy. _'I might as well try to be the best at everything at this point. That Kage Bunshin that Uncle Tobirama recently taught me should be immensely useful.'_

_"Agreed. It is a...what did you call it again?"_ The Fox queried.

_'Practically a cheat code for becoming amazingly awesome. With all your super chakra, it'll be easy!'_ Kurama preened at the 'super chakra' comment, making me snort in amusement. It was hilarious how easy it was to please him sometimes. Seriously, it was as easy as just calling him 'amazing' or 'powerful.' What a ham.

The sky was darkening by this point, and I was tired from my busy day.

_'Looks like we have lots of work to do,' _I told Kurama as I was laying on the ground, staring at the stars which were beginning to dot the sky. _'I'm sure with all this spare time, I could invent some pretty useful seals too.'_

_"If a seal can contain my greatness, a seal can probably do anything."_

I rolled my eyes, already used to his massive ego by that point. I wondered to myself if I could create a special seal or two to help me with information gathering. Wouldn't hurt to try.

_"Speaking of which, we should endeavor to get rid that Zetsu nuisance as soon as possible. It simply won't do to have that creature spot us, after all. According to that 'Manga,' the black half is a direct link to Madara's will, which makes it even more of a threat to us,"_ Kurama said in his 'I'm scheming like a proper Kitsune' voice.

_'Agreed,'_ I replied. _'Speaking of which, do you think we should strike before my father is supposed to pass away? I really want to make sure Obito doesn't go off the deep end, but at the same time it would be useful to place a tracker on him before Zetsu nabs the poor kid. We could use that to find my father.'_

_"Could work,"_ Kurama replied thoughtfully._ "You'll probably need to upgrade your tracking seals though to be safe."_

_'Good idea. At least we have plenty of time...wait...damn...I know Uzumaki live longer than most people, but won't I still be rather old? I'd rather not break a hip dealing with all this crap, you know.'_

_"Haven't you noticed?"_

_'Noticed what exactly?'_

_"Your aging process has slowed, probably due to the high levels of my chakra you are being exposed to on a daily basis. I'm willing to bet it will eventually stop completely."_

"...Wait _what_?" I whispered. Living forever was so _not_ on the list of things I wanted to do with my life. Then again, neither was being reborn in the Narutoverse to the batshit crazy Uchiha clan, or even becoming a self-exile.

Was I _lucky_ or what?

Kurama began laughing nastily at my dismay like a total assbutt.

"You know this means you're going to be stuck with me _forever _right?" I told him with a sickly sweet smile on my face.

_That_ shut him up pretty quick. The Fox's expression reminded me of when my original mother would drag me to go bead shopping so she could make jewelry, and she'd stay staring at the same isle of beads for _four hours_.

Yes, it was every bit as painful as it sounded.

"Forever and ever and ever and ever~" I sang like the creepy little ghost girls in that Steven King movie. It was extra hilarious because he actually got the reference.

_"Somebody shoot me. I regret everything."_

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**Hope you enjoyed.**


	16. New Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**I apologize for not being able to upload very frequently, but it's been pretty rough for me thanks to everyone who left a LEGITIMATE review. You guys are awesome.**

**But then, there's the small percentage of you who like to leave reviews that aren't reviews. Seriously, those of you who you who waste my time with those rude "UPDATE, UPDATE NOW" types of crap only serves to be obnoxious.**

**It's just one of my pet peeves. You never know what the author could be going through to cause them to not update frequently, so it is very inconsiderate to harass them and stress them out. Next time, if you must be rude, PM me instead to spamming the review box.**

**Anyway, that rant aside, I hope you all enjoy.**

**(And let me know if there are any grammatical errors lol)**

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**Chapter 16 - New Home**

Living in Mt. Whatever was...interesting to say the least. Not only was the local fauna, flora, and geography very different to what I was used to, but even the locals themselves were strange.

And I don't mean the 'being a bunch of talking frogs' thing either (And no, I don't care in the slightest that I just called them frogs). Hell, having a disgruntled talking fox as my sole companion for most of my life doesn't really leave me much room to be weirded out by that sort of stuff.

It took months before the locals finally stopped looking at me like I had come from outer space to probe their brains, but I was just glad they weren't the glares and frightened stares I had received in Konoha. The Toads were simply curious of me, as most of them had never seen any humans before.

_"You aren't exactly a shining example of humanity at this point Kit,"_ Kurama had told me sardonically, referring to my getting-more-Kitsune-by-the-moment-ness.

It was peaceful living with the Toads, as they were far less finicky and violence-prone than humans. I noted that their culture seemed to revolve around close-knit family groups that, for the most part, minded their own business. Each group shared one thing in common though; a sort of gerontocracy. In other words, the older a Toad was, the higher their status in society. This feature ignored family lines, so the elders were generally looked up to by everyone regardless who was in what group.

The Great Toad Sage was, as Kurama put it, _"The oldest fart around," _so he was naturally the most revered.

I am ashamed to say I cackled like a lunatic that was a few crayons short of a crayon box after the Fox said that, probably causing everyone around me to fear for my mental stability. Ah, just like old times.

What can I say, Kurama says some funny shit sometimes.

Speaking of the Furball, he seemed quite appreciative of our new surroundings. I wasn't surprised. It had been quite a while since we had been in an environment where we weren't constantly getting carpet-bombed by the negative emotions of others.

That, and he simply didn't like humans _period_. I probably would never admit it aloud to the prideful Fox, but I was immensely grateful that I was the sole exception, that I actually _meant_ something to him.

Damn Fox, making me all sentimental and crap.

Anyway, all that fluffy sentimentality aside, I was thoroughly enjoying my new home. Gamaken and a few other young Toads had helped me build a tree house close to the lake I landed in when I had first arrived at Mt. Whatever. It was coincidentally close to Shima and Fukasaku's home as well.

Sure, it didn't really have much in the way of furniture yet, but it was a work in progress.

"Orange! Let's paint it orange!" a young Gamabunta exclaimed loudly.

"R-Red would look nicer..." Gamaken mumbled, too shy to actually argue about it with the rowdy Gamabunta.

"No, no how about blue!" Another young Toad shouted.

I continued to watch bemusedly for a for more minutes as the Toads argued over what color my house should be before I interfered.

"Well Kits, it looks like we've all reached an impasse, no?" I claimed, ignoring Kurama's mumbling of something that sounded suspiciously like 'noisy amphibian brats.'

"How about we add touches of all your colors?" I asked, knowing full well that my home was probably going to end up looking strange as all hell.

The young Toads seemed to consider this for a while before agreeing excitedly.

Kurama moaned and groaned at the prospect of living in a house that was a clusterfuck of colors, before I assured him that it would only be on the outside and not the inside.

I watched the Toads paint my new home (and each other) and smiled.

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**Hope You enjoyed.**


	17. Surprise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Yeah, it's been a while but there's just been a lot of stuff going on lately, and I just haven't felt up to writing anything what with my muse being practically dead. I was actually struck with a small inspiration to write something earlier today. Either that, or it's due to the fever I currently have. Could be either at this point.**

**Anyway, thanks to those of you who left legitimate reviews and not the ones which only tell me to update. 'Cause those are just stupid. I can't just make my muse come back any time, dang it.**

**But most of you guys are great.**

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**Chapter 17 - Surprise **

_Age 20_

It had been a few years since Kurama and I began living with the Toads and since then, not only had I made great progress in my Senjutsu and control over natural chakra, but I had made great headway into Fūinjutsu.

We soon discovered that I had a strange affinity for finding ways to bend space.

After over two years of hard work and thinking outside of the box, Kurama and I developed a way to remain virtually undetected for long periods of time with the use of a special space-time seal. It was my greatest creation. The seal was perfect for spying, but while it was active we were unable to interact with the environment in any way; we were practically ghosts with it active.

The seal essentially shoved you in an alternate pocket dimension where you could see and hear things from the host dimension (though a bit dampened), but the host dimension couldn't see or hear you. As I stated earlier though, the two dimensions couldn't interact on a physical level.

It's a shame, really. Just imagine all the shenanigans I could get up to if I could interact with an environment where no one could see, touch, or hear me! But I digress.

To be honest, the only threats to Kurama and I would be another Seal Master who was batshit crazy enough to fool with space-time seals on my level. And my level was _nuts._ Seriously, If I had a nickel for every time I almost killed or wiped myself from existence while messing with seals, I'd be pretty damn rich...like Bill Gates or something.

Thank goodness I was smart enough to use Shadow Clones for Fūinjutsu experiments...Not that it made the Toads any happier that I was basically messing with the fabric of time and space in their backyard.

Then again, Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan could also be a problem should he ever manifest it (which the Fox and I were definitively not going to let happen sitting down, seeing as how much of a megalomaniac Obito had turned out to be after he went off the deep end).

"Seriously, what is with the Uchiha ending up being total crack-heads ninety percent of the time after activating their Sharingan?" I asked Kurama one day. "It's like they're genetically predisposed to being crazy assholes or something."

_"You're an Uchiha too, Musume," _the Fox droned with an amused air. _"And didn't _**you** _rediscover your Sharingan not too long ago?"_

Yeeeeeah, there's _that_ too.

As it turns out I had actually activated my Sharingan way back when I witnessed the (possible) death of my father. Of course, I didn't know I had it until after I had already lived in Mt. Whatever for almost two years when I was messing around with my chakra just to see what would happen one day. Embarrassingly enough, I had simply never once bothered to try to activate it before then. Something about possessing the Sharingan just never sat completely well with me, what with the whole "Curse of Hatred" shit that seemed to come prepackaged with it.

"I like to think of myself as more of an Uzumaki at this point, thank you very much," I replied to my companion with no small amount of sass, my four tails swishing wildly behind me, one accidently smacking Gamabunta in the face who happened to be tailgating me at the time.

Get it? **Tail**gating? Yeah, I know. I'm_ hilarious._

And yes, I said four tails. That also happened. Sitting down was getting more and more awkward each time I sprouted a tail too...It also didn't help that some of the younger (smaller) Toads had taken to hitching rides on them like a bunch of freeloading hobos either (much to Kurama's eternal - and somewhat amusing to witness - consternation and outrage). Personally, I think they just like to hear me have crazy, seemingly one-sided conversations with a Bijū they can't actually hear.

To be honest, I didn't really give two shits if I had a few young Toads clinging to my tails as long as they didn't pull out my fur, but Kurama was having none of it.

_"How dare they?! Don't let those little slime balls touch your tails, it's disgusting and humiliating!"_ the Fox seethed the first time it had happened.

Being the kind and gracious Bijū host that I was, I eased Kurama's nerves.

_'Oi, Kurama-chan~'_ I chirped making the Fox hiss at the 'chan.' _'Did you know that frogs secrete mucus through their skin to keep it moist? They're essentially coated in a full-body booger! Isn't that interesting?'_

His reaction was fabulous to say the least.

All that aside, with our new ability to remain virtually undetected, we began the grueling task of information gathering. With the ability to make Shadow Clones (Thank you Uncle Tobirama!), we were able to stake out several places at once, which made things simpler. With my clones, I was able to not only spy on the Hidden Villages, but spare a few to roam the landscape and minor villages for any potentially useful information, and also search for my probably-alive-and-plotting father. Due to safety reasons, I would almost never venture out of Mt. Whatever myself, but would instead send out clones in my place.

Spying in Konoha was always the hardest, as it meant seeing my family alive and carrying on as if I had never existed. I still knew it was for the best, but it was painful nonetheless.

_'Do they miss me?'_ I would often wonder.

_"Of course they do you twit,"_ Kurama would answer waspishly each time. _"You know as well as I do that their pitiful human emotions towards you were genuine."_

The Fox's words meant more to me than I think he possibly realized, and I was grateful...even if his words of comfort typically came packaged with an insult or two.

Anyway, it was a dreary winter day that one of my Shadow Clones, which was patrolling a forest not too far from a minor village, wandered upon a peculiar and surprising sight.

It was a dark, unnaturally thin, humanoid figure crouched on a tree branch looking like some sort of parody of a gargoyle. It turned its shadowy head, revealing white, hollow eye sockets as it dispassionately inspected a deer near to where my clone was standing.

I recognized the creature...but the implications...

_"Black Zetsu should not exist yet," _Kurama spoke in a baffled tone.

_'He shouldn't and yet there he is,' _I replied contemplatively.

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**Hope you enjoyed.**

**I don't have a Beta, so HOPEFULLY there's no mistakes.**


	18. Zetsu

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other franchise mentioned.**

**AN:/ I swear, my inspiration took a hike and it's getting harder and harder to write anything as of late. Being a junior in college, along with several other personal issues going on just sucks the life out of me I guess. I apologize, but my rate of updating probably isn't going to get much better any time soon, unfortunately.**

**_As a side note, I may go back to older chapters at some point and add on to them a bit to flesh them out._**

**As for answers to some reviews:**

**-Someone pointed out that I called the Toads "frogs" in the last chapter. This was intentional as Musume really doesn't care enough to differentiate the two.**

**-denis.d2505: To answer part of your review, Bijū cannot be summoned by anyone while they are sealed within a host. That is why Kurama had to first be free of Kushina's seal before the masked man could control him. So, basically, if anyone tried to summon Kurama, nothing would happen since he is already sealed within Musume for the unforeseeable future.**

**-Someone also wondered if Musume was going to create her own village. Her words to such a question would more than likely be along the lines of "Hell no." She hates politics with a fiery passion that burns with the heat of a thousand suns, so she would definitely avoid any political position like the plague.**

**-Some have also inquired over pairings, particularly pairing Musume and Kurama. To be honest, I hadn't really planed on pairing her with anyone as she's pretty asexual (and also because I probably couldn't write romance to save my life).**

**Many thanks to those who took the time to leave (legitimate) reviews!**

**Because telling me to update faster, will _not_ make me update faster. I update when I update, dammit.**

**Anyway, here's the new chapter!**

**~Spoilers ahoy as per usual~**

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**Chapter 18 - Zetsu**

_"Black Zetsu should not exist yet," _Kurama spoke in a baffled tone.

_'He shouldn't and yet there he is,' _I replied contemplatively.

_"Madara did not create him until after he got a hold of Obito..." _the Fox trailed off, but I could hear him thinking furiously and feverishly.

_'Meaning my dear father is acting far sooner than expected or...'_ I paused. _'Or there's something else at work here.'_

I never did finish the Manga, what with me getting ported off to another dimension and all. Knowing how much of a plot twist troll Kishimoto could be, it honestly wouldn't surprise me if there was more to Zetsu than I got to see. Seriously, I highly suspected 'Tobi' was Obito from close to the beginning simply because it was the type of irony I could picture Kishimoto loving to pull, among other things.

Then again, Zetsu's early presence _could_ be just another anomaly to this particular universe. The fact that my late mother and myself existed was, in itself, an anomaly after all.

But something told me that there was more to the situation than met the eye. I could feel Kurama's uneasy agreement to my suspicion.

Stretching out my senses I tried to get a feel of the shadowy figure, and the fact that I was in a pocket dimension didn't help as it somewhat dulled my sensory skills. What I could feel of the creature didn't feel familiar or natural at all. Something about it felt horrible and as though it were an abomination to nature itself.

_"There's something about that creature..."_ Kurama mumbled tensely. I could feel the anxious fox pacing back and forth in the broken Seal, which didn't help my nerves at all.

"Kurama?" I spoke up tersely, trying to shake off the unease that we both felt.

_"Musume, we need to kill it or in the very least seal it,"_ The Fox stated firmly. I was momentarily surprised; Kurama almost never called me by my name, usually settling for 'Kit' or even 'brat' when he was feeling particularly bitchy.

"Well, I knew _that_ much. Care to elaborate your findings, Furball?" The Fox's thoughts had been too swift and garbled for me to make much sense out of them, but I had picked up on his increasing sense of dread.

Kurama grudgingly relented, _"There is something that feels terribly familiar about that thing. I can't quite place _**why**_ it feels familiar, but all I know is that I don't like it. Not in the least."_

Well, that was descriptive and helpful. Except not.

But the Fox had stated that it felt familiar. That had to mean _something_, because it certainly didn't feel familiar to me.

"In the Manga, Black Zetsu was infused into White Zetsu by Madara. White Zetsu isn't here though for whatever reason, and Black Zetsu doesn't feel anything like my father at all. Hell, it doesn't even feel like Uncle Hashirama despite Zetsu containing his cells...of course it might only be White Zetsu that contains those and not tall, dark, and creepy over here," I mused aloud to my companion, still staring fixedly at the shadowy, unnatural figure.

The Fox stewed on my words for a moment before replying,_ "Indeed. If Black Zetsu is supposedly the vessel of Madara's will, then one would assume that the damn thing would at least slightly feel like that infernal Uchiha. Something must be done to remove that creature. The very fact that this aberration exists disturbs me in ways I cannot explain."_

"If we leave this pocket dimension, we'll be exposed and there's no guarantee that we'll even be able to catch that slippery weed, if Black Zetsu can even be considered as a plant anyway," I spoke after a moment's thought.

Kurama was silent, deep in thought. I could feel his tails waving lazily back and forth methodically like clockwork, as he was inclined to do when thinking hard enough.

"Ah, maybe I can at least tag it with a discreet tracking seal? I can change my appearance and mask my chakra signature with another of my trusty seals to avoid recognition. It's still a gamble though, seeing as we aren't sure what Black Zetsu is even truly capable of."

Kurama was about to answer when that damn thing started melding into the tree it was standing on.

I lunged, about to simultaneously change my appearance and try to leave the pocket dimension to quickly tag Black Zetsu with a seal before Kurama abruptly slammed on the brakes, stopping me in my tracks.

_"Bad idea, Kit,"_ Kurama spoke swiftly before I could interject. _"It's like you said; a gamble. We cannot afford gambles at the moment. We have its scent and know the feel of its chakra, so we can always find it again later when we're better prepared. _

_This...this changes a few things, so we can't rush in blindly into this and we can't afford the possibility of being recognized." _The Fox was completely still now, and his voice was solemn.

I sighed heavily, finding no choice but to agree with my furry friend. The world wouldn't forget you existed if you showed up, after all. And the possibility of being detected by someone like _Zetsu_ of all people...ehh..._plant_-people?...Well, it was one of the least desirable things I could think of. Something told me it would be _terrible._

I watched morosely (and somewhat spitefully) as the dark figure completely dissolved into the tree before I dispelled the Shadow Clone.

. .

Back at my home in Mt. Whatever, once receiving my Shadow Clone's memories and subsequently having Kurama file them away for later use, I couldn't help but huff exasperatingly at the entire new mess that had just unfolded. Worrying about what my poor, mentally unstable father was probably up to had been bad enough, but now there was Zetsu to worry about too.

And _who even knows_ what that crazy plant-bastard could be up to. Perhaps the creature could be sealed away? It would probably be safer, right?

I nodded to myself absently. There was the possibility, as unlikely as it might be, that Black Zetsu couldn't be killed by normal means. No, it would be safer to seal it away first and _then_ worry about killing it.

"But how to go about all this?" I asked myself. "Oh whatever, I'll worry about it tomorrow. Too many migraines today."

Things just kept getting more and more convoluted anyway. Damn it, Kishimoto! This was totally his fault.

I groaned, slamming my head against my kitchen table before trying in vain to smooth my seemingly permanently unruly hair. Damn, why did I have to inherit father's crazy, untamable hair?!

_"Well, it beats inheriting his crazy, untamable disposition at any rate,"_ the Fox replied sardonically. I was about to snort at the description when I felt Kurama's emotions suddenly darken before he spoke again, this time nastily, _"That man is trash." _I froze.

Leave it to Kurama to make me do an emotional 180.

"He-hey...he's not...well..." I protested weakly. '_He's not trash'_ I wanted to say, but the words died in my mouth.

My father, even after all these years, remained a touchy subject between the two of us for obvious reasons. I'd admit to father being batshit-crazy, but trash? It hurt to hear, even though I couldn't exactly deny it. I knew what the man was like - what he was capable of becoming - from the very beginning, but that still didn't change the fact that he was _my father_. My strange, quiet, stoic father that would always go out of his way to pick fights with Uncle Tobirama, and who was secretly terrified of spiders...My father who always listened to me and looked out for me...

Damn it all.

I still dearly loved him regardless of what he was trying to do, and it was _because_ I loved him that I had to stop him. If things went my way, I could save him without him needing to be destroyed. Call me selfish or foolish, but I wanted to at least try. He and Kurama were the only things I had left after all, because deep down, I just _knew_ I wouldn't see my family in Konoha alive again. Family which did _not_ include the Uchiha clan, considering how I was never close to them to begin with.

"Let me at least _try,_ Kurama," I spoke softly. I felt Kurama's emotions soften for a moment before resuming their usual 'deadpan-sarcasm' air.

The Fox opened his toothy maw, about to reply with something caustic (I could just feel it coming), when we heard the neighborhood banshee screaming with the earsplitting cacophony that sounded like the damned, wailing souls of a thousand gypsies dying in an oven.

**"MUUUUUSSSSUUUUUMMMMEEE!"** said voice of the damned called, causing me to violently flinch and Kurama to literally jump forward (and bang his head on a Seal wall so hard he saw stars) at the sudden, excruciatingly loud noise. I would've laughed at his expense if my sensitive ears hadn't been ringing, along with a worsening migraine from the 7th layer of hell.

Who is this neighborhood banshee you might ask? Two words:

Grandma Shima.

**"It's breakfast time, so get over here!"** Despite living almost two hundred yards away, the old Toad still had the voice of twelve megaphones binging on ever steroid known to mankind (along with what could only be "black-magic" according to Kurama) and, as such, could be heard from practically anywhere. There probably would've been noise complaints if the other Toads weren't so absolutely terrified of having their asses handed to them by her. She was like my mother and Aunt Mito in that regard, funnily enough.

I have special memories in my heart of my father and uncles cowering in fear from those two. Yes, even Uchiha Madara and Senju Tobirama were terrified, and it was _hilarious._

_"How does Fukasaku put up with her?"_ Kurama grumbled, rubbing his aching head.

"Earplugs?" I added, happy to temporarily forget my prior brooding thoughts. Seriously though, it was a miracle Grandpa Fukasaku wasn't completely deaf by now considering how he tended to be at ground-zero whenever Grandma Shima started yelling. The poor bastard.

I quickly darted out of my home towards her house in a desperate attempt to get there before she bombed my house with a ballistic projectile fire ball. Again.

Yeah, she actually _bombed_ the house with_ fire_ if Kurama and I didn't move fast enough for her liking. We learned that the hard way too, what with the projectile actually taking a chunk out of our roof once.

Needless to say, the words Kurama said in response to the situation shouldn't be repeated in front of children...or in public for that matter. He was probably the most creative person I knew when it came to colorful insults.

"I'm here Baa-chan!" I exclaimed in slight panic, skidding to a stop before the small Toad.

"Ah, good! I was startin' ta think I needed to go getcha myself!" Kurama and I shuddered involuntarily. "Now, come on inside!"

We entered the small home and headed for the table where all the meals were taken.

"Hello, Jii-chan," I greeted Grandpa Fukasaku amicably, sitting down in my usual spot.

"Good mornin' Musume! Ya got here fast! Did Ka-chan bomb your house again?" The old Toad replied looking torn between amusement and exasperation at the thought of his wife causing more property damage.

Kurama always did say that he wouldn't be surprised if the Toads had entire folders dedicated to all the property/people damage Shima had committed.

"Thankfully, no." I replied dryly, running my fingers through my silver hair.

The meal, as per usual, consisted of bugs for them and fruits and vegetables for me (I had to hunt for meat on my own time, which I fairly often did). When I had first arrived, they had given me bugs, which Kurama and I were vehemently opposed to, so I was immensely grateful that they began giving me other things to eat instead.

All in all, it was nice that they had accepted me so quickly despite me being a Kitsune-former-human, or whatever the hell I was. It was like having grandparents again; something which I sorely missed.

In my previous life, I had two grandmothers, (both my grandfathers having passed away before I was born) both of whom I had loved dearly. I had only witnessed the death of one of them before I was whisked away to the Narutoverse, so I would occasionally wonder after my remaining grandmother.

But I didn't really like to think about it. Seriously, it bummed me out just thinking about it. And I was just going to pretend I didn't hear Kurama making fake gagging sounds like a jackass too.

Let it be known that I had a huge soft spot for cute, sweet old grandmas. Especially if said old grandmas were actually my relatives. Cute, old grandpas too, but to a slightly lesser degree.

No joke, I was always kind of distressed whenever cute old grandmas and grandpas died or something equally as depressing in a book, movie, or game.

_"Your impressive ability to jump from one topic to another is disorienting...and obnoxious,"_ Kurama groused like the total party pooper he was._ "But I suppose it's better than your brooding. I swear, if you keep that up, you'll be as talented at it as the rest of the Uchiha clan."_

"You're welcome, buddy," I replied serenely, and somewhat bemusedly.

Fukasaku and Shima, who had been arguing over the fact that Fukasaku had accidently told his wife that she looked a bit "rounder," just stared bewilderedly at me for a few moments for my seemingly completely random statement...before Grandma Shima resumed her prior action of trying to bludgeon her husband to death with a pan.

_"I don't think Shima counts as one of those sweet, cute grandmas,"_ Kurama said sagely, nodding his furry head.

"KA-CHAN!"

*THWAP*

_"...Are we about to witness a murder?" _He added in a slightly concerned, but mostly curious voice. I rolled my eyes.

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That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed.


	19. The Chapter that Wasn't a Chapter :D

Yeah, yeah, I know. _How dare I post an author's note in place of a chapter!_

Well, calm your collective tits, because I just spent the last two or three days fixing this story up some. I've been pretty much writing this story by the seat of my pants (which probably won't change any time soon), so my writing was bound to be kinda janky in places. That and I don't have a fantastic grasp of the timeline...or parts of the Manga *cough*

I went through and:

~Clarified and elaborated some things.

~Changed some things.

~Expanded on some things.

~Added more insane Musume-brand rambling.

~Added a few more douchebag Kurama moments.

~Gave a (kinda) closer look at people like Madara, Tobirama, and Hashirama.

~More stuff that I can't remember.

So, HOPEFULLY it makes a bit more sense now, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. Anyway, there's plenty of extra crap that I added that practically constitutes as a new chapter. If I'm lucky the fixed chapters are in the right place with no added shenanigans too, because FF along with my internet can get pretty temperamental.

I also made some tweaks to the "Reminiscing Fox" too as another side note.

Will this actually make the story any better you ask? Hell if I know. I could even change the chapters some more in the future (I like to think of my weird-ass story as some kind of eldritch abomination that occasionally changes form).

I'll post the next chapter...eventually? My muse is still fairly dead to the world.


End file.
